


Bring Him Back, Bring Him Back

by KaminariDenki



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alphonse dies, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Depression, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 02:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15451086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaminariDenki/pseuds/KaminariDenki
Summary: "Alphonse!" Edward yowled, feet stumbling and arm outstretched as his brother's metal body collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless.Or; Alphonse dies and Edward beats himself up over it while everyone who cares about him watches helplessly on the sidelines.





	Bring Him Back, Bring Him Back

" _Alphonse!_ "

A sob bubbled out of Edward's mouth. He stumbled, his arm outstretched. A loud clatter reverberated around the room and the perpetrator— some evil alchemist with a confusing name— chuckled darkly, lowering himself and kneeling on the ground. The sabre he was holding slid up with the grating sound of metal against metal. The man had just stabbed right through Alphonse's back and Edward had watched, frozen, as his younger brother collapsed, the light fading from his soul fire eyes.

The armour he had been bound to laid limp on the ground, a long and thin cut gouged exactly onto the spot where his blood seal was.

Edward clenched his fists, teeth grinding together as uncontrollable fury spread through him. His veins stung with adrenaline and he raised his automail hand, blade pointing at the man. "You _killed_ him," he spat, voice thick and shaking with emotion, "You killed my brother!"

With a yowl, Edward bounded forwards with unexpected agility. His feet thumped and pounded at the dirtied ground and the man's face twisted into that of horror as the angered blonde thrusted the blade into the killer's stomach. Blinded by rage and sorrow, Edward shoved the man away, watching as he fell to the floor, blood spurting and spattering, pooling around his body.

Edward, with shaking limbs and trembling lips, turned around to address the damage done to his brother. He patted at his chest plate, punched him lightly on the shoulder, nudged the helmet with his foot, knowing how much the other hated it when his head was parted from his body. He didn't respond. The young alchemist wiped furiously at his burning eyes but the tears were endless, pouring down his cheeks like tiny rivers engraved onto his face.

Alphonse was gone and he wasn't quick enough to save him. He was a fuck up who killed everyone he loved. First his mother, then Nina and major Hughes and now hid own brother. He hadn't yet returned him to his original body.

His hands vibrated violently as he grasped at the metal arm, hauling the armour onto his shoulders. He stepped slowly out of the building, the pain and distress he had been feeling simmered down to a worrying numbness. The blonde, with his streaming nose and oceanic eyes, limped away from the scene, hands too occupied to rub the fluids away from his reddened face. Anyone who passed him would bear witness to the pitiful sight of a mere child, lugging a heavy suit of armour while sobbing silently.

But Edward was alone, the streets abandoned after a rogue alchemist scared them and caused them to go into hiding within their houses, thinking they were safe within the familiar walls.

Edward had been sent on the job to stop him from terrorizing the town and killing citizens and stealing money. It was going smoothly, Edward and Alphonse had cornered him inside of some old warehouse, until he pulled out his sword.

Edward growled, shaking his throbbing head. Now wasn't the tine to be wallowing in the past. He has to find a way to get Alphonse back. He'd trade his arm, his leg, his heart or even his entire being just to bring him back. But he had learned his lesson the first time, that human transmutation, although starting it was a success, reviving the dead was impossible and Edward doubted the gate would settle for just one limb as a payment.

So, swallowing his mournful and hiccuping gasps, he squared his shoulders and stomped towards Central, which would take 20 minutes to arrive to at most. He passed the time by reciting the periodic table in his mind, going over each elements name, then, after he had named them all, he muttered out their symbol in order. He just needed something to take his mind off the crippling realization that he was basically carrying a hard and heavy dead body on his back.

When that had proved to be fruitless— the elements just made him think about how damn smart Alphonse was— he took to humming some random lullaby. He distantly remembered Trisha singing it to him when he was little, but couldn't recall the words, only the rhythm. It was childish and stupid and he hummed it over and over but it distracted him long enough that he found he had entered Central City.

No one paid any mind to the boy dragging armour around. Amestris was filled with odd people who did odd things.

Soon he was behind the military's main building, Alphonse lying limply on the dusty floor. Edward searched through his coat for chalk despite knowing that he hadn't brought any with him, too confident in his ability to transmute without a circle.

Then again, he never expected to attempt human transmutation again. Guess life has many surprises hidden up its sadistic sleeves.

Edward entered the building, sprinting down the halls until he reached a boardroom with a black board. He snatched a piece of chalk and bounded out of he room, passing my confused military men and a certain colonel, ignoring his concerned _"Fullmetal?"_.

He walked back into the gleam of the sun, crouching down to sketch a hurried array, the chalk occasionally slipping from his trembling grip. With a frustrated growl, he connected yet another line and soon the drawing was complete.

The blonde stood up, brushed the dirt and debris from his pants and palms then dragged a lifeless Alphonse over to the circle. What better place to perform a forbidden and illegal act than the very place that had sent the boy to his doom. The military barracks, where illegality was met with either a gun to the head or a life behind bars.

He clapped his hands together, glancing at the armour with tired eyes. He knelt down, parting his palms, readying himself to press them against the edge of the chalk. That's when a rough hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him backwards. Edward yelped and slapped his hand on the ground to steady himself, turning his head to see who on earth had interrupted him.

The disappointed face of the one and only colonel Roy Mustang glared back at him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Mustang snapped, dark eyes narrowing as he gazed around at the scene. Edward was crouched in front of a confusing array, which housed an unmoving Alphonse in the middle of it.

Edward snarled, angered that he had been stopped before he could go further, "I'm trying to bring him back!"

The brunette's eyebrows scrunched together, "Bring him back?" He looked over Edward's head, his mouth hanging slightly open at the sight of the armour laid down on the dirt, light gone from his eyes.

"It all went wrong! Alphonse is dead, he's gone and I'm trying to fucking bring him _back_!" He hissed, turning and quickly clapping once again.

Mustang, that stupid bastard, grabbed his arms and pulled them towards the man's chest, away from the circle as he stared at Edward with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, "Fullmetal, stop! What do you mean he's dead?"

"His blood seal was broken! His soul was disconnected from the armour. I still have time, I can still bring him back!" Was his frantic response, so unlike his brash, witty persona that he donned, smug and smart with an acidic tongue, ready to exchange banter and insults at everyone who dared challenge him.

But now he was broken and sad and ready to give up anything and everything just to see his brother again.

"You can't bring him back, Edward. Didn't you learn the first time? Or is your brain really as small as your stature?" Mustang snapped, his grip tightening on the younger alchemist's wrists.

Edward was more angered by the crystal clear fact that Alphonse was dead for real and Mustang had the audacity to say it out loud, than he was from the insult. He'd normally be ruffled up from short jokes, but he had just lost someone important, his last family. He broke down.

Using his metal foot, he kicked the colonel away and he felt like punching him and hitting him for giving up so easily on Alphonse but he was too tired and too weak and he just knelt there, temple pressed to the ground and tears bubbling along his eyelids. "He's gone, he's gone," he chanted, his hand running through his bangs, fingers tightening around his hair. His eyes were clamped shut and his muscles were tense, a migraine settled on his head from the amount of crying he'd done.

Arms furled around his shoulders and his forehead was pressed into a chest. His eyes peeked open and he glanced up to see Mustang embracing him, an awkward expression painting his face. The colonel looked at him, patting his shoulders, "It's going to be alright," he muttered.

A few minutes passed before Edward finally gain enough strength to push himself away from the man, scowling deeply at him. Mustang pulled away in understanding, running his hand along the area that Edward's boot had connected with.

"Let's... Let's go inside. Tell me what happened, okay?" Mustang said softly, standing up and pulling Edward with him.

The blonde sighed but nodded, peering at the metal husk.

"We'll... just leave that out here. It's too big to lug around inside and I'm sure no ones gonna take it when it's in _this_ area," Mustang said, grabbing the armour and hauling it over so that it was resting against the wall in a sitting position. The head slumped slightly and a foot tilted at an odd angle.

Edward stood there for a moment, wincing at the slack, boneless appearance the suit he'd known to be his brother had. He flexed his fingers, resisting the urge to punch something, anything, and followed the man inside. They weaved around people who, this time, didn't spare the two any glances. Roy unlocked his personal office and after Edward entered, closed the door behind him and moved to sit at his desk, fumbling around through the drawers until he found what he was looking for, a pen and paper. He dropped the objects onto the desk and picked up the pen, popping the cap off. "You gonna sit down?" He gestured towards the empty seat.

Edward sat down, splaying himself across the furniture and stared blankly over at the colonel, who began speaking.

"Fullmetal, what happened during the job?"


End file.
